Indian Snack Mysteries Solved: The Case Of Steroid Bhujia Chunks
On February 18, 2021, while eating a packet of Bhujia Sev, Indian comedian Sahil Shah asked: ‘Where does this steroid-wala Bhujia come from? Who puts it there?’
Video here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CLbc1_OASPe/?igshid=1r50lksw51pit (below is a screenshot.)
While the video is hilarious, it poses a brilliant question.
What is this chunk exactly? This article answers this burning question which probably ten people had.
Before we begin, I want to point out that these pieces are as divisive as pineapple on Pizza. Some absolutely love it:
While some feel like Reviewbrah when they see ‘annoying chunks’ in the packet.
In order to know what this chunk is, we must know what it is not.
There are many theories floating around the internet trying to explain this phenomenomnomnom.
To help me bust these spicy myths, I reached out to Navneet Sharma — a seasoned food manufacturing professional and blogger, and asked him a chunk of questions about Bikaneri Bhujia production.
Let’s start.
Myth 1: It Is A Steroid Bhujia
No Sahil, it’s not a security guard Bhujia. These thicc nuggets are called ‘Dhankoli’ or ‘Dhamkuli.’
They might look similar, but they’re completely different from Bikaneri Bhujia sev and are made up of different ingredients.
Bikaji and Haldiram Bhujia mostly include both Chana (chickpea) and Moth dal (tepary bean) dough as the ingredients, while Dhankoli is just fried Moth dough. As Moth is the stuff that makes the besan-mixed Bhujia hard, Dhankoli is crunchier than the sev.
Fast Fact:
Fried Moth Dal is also what adds to Dal Vada’s crunch.
Myth 2: It Is A Leftover Byproduct
Some believe that these gigantic pieces are the Bhujia sev strands that fused together in the production process to create a mega mutant Bhujia. Or that the dough wasn’t cut and processed enough leading to irregularities.
As mentioned above, Dhankoli is as different as Bhujia as a violin is different from a cello.
Not only that, Dhankoli is prepared separately, and then it’s purposely mixed with the Bhujia — this is the traditional way of making Bikaneri Bhujia.
But why mix the two?
Here’s what Navneet said on Quora: “Dhankoli is blended with spices like Black Peppercorns, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander/Cilantro seeds, etc. to give sharp & intense taste. The purpose of adding chunks is to create a combination of normal & spiced snacks in the same container so that one can enjoy the intensity of spice according to his/her taste.”
So, if you’re the kind of person who loves to say “Bhaiya aur teekha pani daalna”* to the Pani Puri vendor, you’ll love to chomp on those nuggets.
However, when it comes to mixing Dhankoli with Bhujia, it’s done with great precision. As Dhankoli has more spices (making it more expensive to produce,) the manufacturers have to carefully mix them to control costs.
According to Navneet, a fixed ratio of these chunks is added and a batch is prepared accordingly before packing. If the producer doesn’t want to create a premixed batch, they can also pack it separately with predetermined weights (keeping the ratio in mind.)
And since Dhankoli costs a lot of ‘Dhan’** to make, you’ll only find them in large and premium segment packs and not the Rs.5 packs.
Myth 3: Bhujia Are Just The Big Pieces The Rest Is Sev
This is kind of a misleading statement.
While the term ‘Bhujia’ in Marwari literally means ‘fried in oil,’ it refers only to those extruded besan and moth flour snacks that are cooked in Bikaner.
Similar fried snacks made outside the Bikaner region are called ‘sev.’ This is like how only the wine produced in the ‘Champagne’ region is considered as champagne, and anything brewed outside the region is sparkling wine.
Although the thin pieces of Bikaneri Bhujia can technically be sev, the fat chunks are not purely’ Bhujia’ — rather, the mixture as a whole is ‘Bhujia.’
Snack Mystery Solved
Sahil, here’s your answer:
Those big ‘steroid’ chunks in Bhujia are called Dhankoli. They’re pieces of fried moth dough cooked separately. Manufacturers carefully and deliberately mix them into the Bhujia sev to enhance flavor. However, they’re only available in bigger and/or premium packs like this one.
A big thank you to Navneet for responding to all my silly questions about this cherished snack.
Check out his blog here for processed food fact-bombs.
Extra Content
While writing this article, there were a few interview Qs and As I couldn’t include, so I’ll be adding them separately here. Consider this section as the ‘Dhankoli’ of the article.
Q. “Can you buy these big chunks on their own (without Bhujia) from the market?”
A. ‘There is no separate packing available for these pieces in branded names. Although you can buy it from some shops in Bikaner or other places in the local market.”
Q. “Do you personally like Bhujia sev and Dhankoli?”
A. “Yes, I like the taste of both, because it’s flavor & the taste remains in the mouth even after finishing it — leaving an intense freshness for a long time. It may depend on the quality of product/brands. But yes, it remains and it’s because of the spices/chillies in those chunks, the spice used is dominant & it receives the taste of the floors.”
Footnotes:
*Translation: “Brother, please make it spicier.”
**Translation: ‘Money’
